Product Review – Altra Lone Peak 3.0

Altra Lone Peak 3.0

Product Review – Altra Lone Peak 3.0

The Altra Lone Peak 3.0 is the 5th generation of the Lone Peak shoe (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0) and the fourth generation that I have owned. The Lone Peak 1.5 was actually my very first pair of Altra shoes, and I’ve been running in zero drop shoes ever since. I was really looking forward to trying these shoes out!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you make purchases after clicking on any links. These shoes were provided to me by Altra for the purposes of this review. All opinions and written content are my own (unless otherwise noted).

What’s New

Redesigned and reinforced Upper

New MaxTrac™ outsole

Improved Upper Durability

Initial Thoughts

Altra Lone Peak 3.0

This is the fourth generation Lone Peak that I have run in, and they’ve been getting progressively better so I was very excited to try these shoes out. In particular I was looking forward to the durability improvements and all new outsole. While the previous generation shoes have lasted me well beyond the expected 500 miles, there was a persistent issue with the tread falling apart and my feet creating holes in the upper. The Lone Peak 3.0 looks promising however as the upper now has an overlay wrap (the black material in the photo), without any significant increase in stiffness or decrease in flexibility. I’m also in love with the updated color ways since the previous generations weren’t my favorite colors, more on that below. Compared to the previous version which had ridiculously long shoe laces, these laces appear to be a more appropriate length.

Weight

The shoes are listed as weighing 9.7oz/275g each. My shoes (size 10.5) weighed 11.1oz/314.6g each, which makes them .1oz/2.8g lighter than the previous generation in the exact same size on the exact same scale (see pics below). It’s impressive that the 3.0 weighs less than the 2.5 considering the additional material wrapped around the shoe to improve durability. My guess is the weight savings come from the thinner material used around the heel cup, but that’s purely speculation.

Altra Lone Peak 3.0 Weight

Altra Lone Peak 2.5 Weight

Fit

One of the undocumented changes in the Lone Peak 3.0 compared to previous generations is a general narrowing of the entire upper. In previous generations, the fit through the mid foot and heel was reported as being “sloppy” by many people on social media, although I never seemed to notice it personally. This new generation is noticeably narrower through the heel and mid foot, while retaining the same foot shaped toe box. Even though I didn’t notice previous generations feeling loose, the new fit of the Lone Peak 3.0 feels excellent to me. I definitely notice an improvement in control and stability thanks to the shoe being a bit tighter in the heel and mid foot.

Unfortunately not everyone has the same shaped foot though, so while these improvements work perfectly for me, I have heard reports from Altra customers that the new fit is too narrow for them now. As with all shoes, make sure you try them on for yourself and see how they fit. This is a great use of the 30-day guarantee offered by Altra.

Colors

I wouldn’t normally dedicate a section to colors, but if you’ll recall from my review of the Altra Lone Peak 2.5, I was less than impressed with the color choices across the board. Fortunately, the new color ways are all very attractive and they’ve increased from 3 color choices to 4 giving you even more options whether male or female. The available colors:

Men

Black/Red

Orange

Blue

Black/Yellow

Women

Red/Deep Sea Foam

Black/Purple

Blue/Gray

Pink/Black

My review pair were Orange which I liked and my second pair I purchased are Black/Red which I really like.

Long Term Update

Altra Lone Peak 3.0 (new on the left, after 495 miles on the right)

To date, I’ve put about 495 miles on the Lone Peak 3.0 on trails all over the Wasatch, and I have to say I continue to be impressed with the Altra Lone Peak model. The durability issues in the outsole were resolved in the previous generation, and I’m happy to report the 3.0 outsole is just as durable. More importantly, the durability problems with the upper appear to have been resolved, at least for most people, thanks to the new overlay which strengthens what used to be the weak spot for me. The material did show some wear after 495 miles, but my foot has not blown through the upper yet like it has in previous generations. Overall, I’m very happy with the durability of the Lone Peak 3.0, so much so that I just ordered a second pair (which I paid for).

Summary

I still think this is one of the best shoes in the Altra line-up, and my love affair with the Lone Peak continues. Through incremental improvements over 5 generations, Altra seems to have finally found the perfect combination of fit, durability, and traction in a trail shoe and I’m excited to see what the future holds for the Lone Peak. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this shoe to anyone.

Pros

Zero Drop

Wide, foot-shaped toe box

Vastly improved color choices

Improved upper durability

Weight decrease

Free Shipping and 30-day, no questions asked return policy

Cons

Completely redesigned upper means a new fit that may not be ideal for everyone